Every voter is motivated by a combo of desire to win and fear of the opposing side winning - but these days, especially in the Trump era, it seems that what is driving voters to the polls is more of a fear of the opposing side gaining or retaining power than it is about the desire to see one’s own side win. What say you?
The current crop of Democratic Party candidates for 2020 do not excite me yet. My primary motivation (just like 2016) is fear of the opposing side winning, especially in the Trump era.
Until you get down to two candidates I couldn’t tell you. I’d rather it be for positive reasons but as long as disgraced former president Trump is in office I will go negative if necessary.
Since the D’s took over the House and started proposing things, I’m excited and actually feeling pretty rosy about their ideas coming back to the table. I say this as a moderate D, realizing the initial progressive ideas are pie in the sky or go too far and wouldn’t be (and shouldn’t be) implemented as-is. But I’m feeling pretty positive about that energy right now.
Why can’t it be both?
It is both, of course, but I am asking which one is more intense. IMHO, since the Obama era began (maybe around or after the time of the 2010 midterms), America has trended sharply towards fear of the opposing side winning rather than desire for one’s own side to win.
I think it’s kind of like a double-acting steam engine, and both pushes and pulls. I think for most people, it’s some proportion of both- they want to see their agenda enacted, AND they’re concerned about seeing the other guy’s agenda enacted. Neither side thinks things are actually good the way they are, despite the notional idea that conservatives want to keep the status quo.
True, but “what the other side would do” seems to have gained great intensity of late. In 1996 or 2000, I don’t think Democrats or Republicans sweated a great deal about what would happen if Dole or Gore became president. Whereas now, Trump getting reelected, or a Democrat winning in 2020, would make Ds or Rs lose their shit, respectively.
Hmmm, you think so? Do you think you’ll see Republicans take to the street en masse if a democrat wins? My bet is a couple guys grumbling at the water cooler at best.
Have you forgotten the Tea Party rallies?
Yes, and those didn’t occur within 24 hours of a presidential election. They were, IIRC, several months after Obama’s election.
I guess we’ll find out in 2020. Or not.
I just think this whole trope that conservatives don’t protest and only liberals get hysterical is totally false.
The term is negative partisanship. People motivated by fear of the other side winning.
I’d say that motivates me. I don’t want the gop to control both houses of congress and the executive branch at the same time. I’m glad democrats control one house so they can check the excesses of the gop. They can block legislation and conduct investigations now.
However I have no faith in democratic legislation coming anytime soon. Even if you give the democrats a super majority they’ll just pass watered down corporate laws rather than the reform we truly need. So I’m not excited about their agenda and I have no real belief they’ll pass anything meaningful in 2021 or 2022 if they win congress and the presidency.
Upon self-examination, I don’t really detect fear; more like a white-hot insistence that every Republican lose every electoral contest in the nation. I find myself determined that the Republican Party must cease to exist, for the good of the country, the species, and the planet.
The greatest thing any Democrat will accomplish is keeping a Republican out of office. Everything else is gravy.
Let’s see: if (1) the GOP wins, there’s no way we deal with climate change until 2025 at the earliest.
If (2) the Dems win, we might start addressing it in 2021, depending on (a) whether the Dems re-take the Senate, (b) whether the Dems are finally willing to ditch the filibuster, and © who the nominee is.
So for now, looks like it’s (1).